Cianobactérias: importância econômica.

Abstract

The cultivation in large scale of algae has been called attention due to their utilization in the food production for animais and even for man, residue recycling, waste-water treatment and raw-material for some natural compounds. Particularly, cyanobacteria represent an important role, being a rich source of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, enzymes, and other bioactive compounds. Other current and potential uses include: a) soil inoculant; b) energy production through obtention of the biogas, methane, and solar energy conversion by biophotolysis; c) supply of specialty products such as: food and cosmetic coloring agents, specialty lipids, fluorescent labels in diagnostic reagents, and isotopically enriched compounds; d) waste-water treatment; e) heavy metal adsortion; f) food for fish, clams, oysters, etc. However, they may represent dangerous elements in the environment, through their strains capable of producing toxins, this fact having to be considered when they are used as biomass and source of bioactive compounds, when water is purified for domestic use, and in the study of the environmental deterioration.